Wednesday 14 November 2012

The History Of Horse Racing

By Heather Toms


The game of horseracing goes back a long, long way. It goes back to circa 4,500 BC when nomadic Central Asian tribes tamed horses for the first time. Ever after, horse racing has reigned supreme as a sport fit for Kings.

From the very start of recorded history, horse racing has been depicted as an organised and popular sport common to all of the world's major civilizations. The Olympics of ancient Greece featured events involving both mounted and chariot racing. The sport was then taken up by the Romans. Mounted and chariot horse racing became major areas of industry in Roman Empire days; these events were the product of breeding programs with imported bloodlines and intensive training programs. Horseracing had all elements of legalized gambling like bookies, proper racing tracks, hit tips, scandals and of course, red hot entertainment and excitement. Horse racing saw a decline that coincided with the Roman Empire's decline. It started to pick up speed once again once mankind was well into a rather more modern age.

Horse racing took a professional turn as far back as the 12th century, when English Crusader knights came back in the company of Arab horses. This set off a trend that lasted for the forthcoming period of hundreds of years: more Arab stallions were imported for crossing with English mares. The resulting offspring were a true mix of speed and endurance. These cross bred horses were the forefathers of today's horse racing breeds.

As quantum technological jumps in transportation and other fields of human enterprise took place in the 19th century and later , thousands of people became hooked on watching horse races and gambling on racing horses. Horseracing began to get intensive coverage in distinguished newspapers, and gambling volumes constantly increased. The arrival of organised on-site bookmakers brought along a complete sea change. Random and sometimes illegal, occasionally unethical practices resulted in a moderately successful Jockey Club effort to establish very high standards of order, discipline and integrity that guaranteed the sport's continued well being.

All around the planet, attendance at race courses has been shooting up right into the early part of this century. There was a decrease in attendance during the 1970s and 1980s. The technological marvel of online web betting has affected horse racing in ways never thought of earlier. Online gambling has drawn a completely new generation of spectators and betters to the Game of Kings; they choose to conduct all their activities in front of their PCs and TV sets. The power to bet and earn cash legally from the results of horse races has been a core part of this sport's appeal and a major factor behind its survival as a sport with a presence.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment